One shot, two stabbed in fight near West Indian Day Parade route in NYC

One man was shot and two others were stabbed in a fight along the West Indian Day Parade route in Brooklyn on Monday, with another man shooting himself in the leg during a separate fracas less than two miles away.

A gunman was embroiled in a dispute with a group of men at 5:21 p.m. on Eastern Parkway near Rochester Ave. — where the parade kicked off hours earlier — when he drew his weapon and started blasting, according to cops and witnesses.

The shooter struck one unidentified victim in the butt, while another man was stabbed in the leg and a third slashed in the hand, according to police.

They said the gunman hightailed it on foot, heading north on Rochester Ave.

A witness claimed she saw paramedics loading the shooter into an ambulance, explaining that he tried to play the victim after a group of men beat him following the gun violence.

“They were beating him up — I mean, they were stomping him down,” said 35-year-old Monique, who came to the parade draped in a Barbadian flag. “He was covered in blood, with a gash on his forehead. People were shouting, ‘He’s the shooter, he’s the shooter!’”

Firefighters with Engine 234 were on their way back from a call about a woman passed out on the street when a bullet struck their windshield on the driver’s side as they passed by the shooting.

“We were on our way back and there were shots,” said a firefighter who was riding on the damaged truck. “It was too much, just too much.”

The smoke-eaters of Engine 234 were unsure if they should replace the windshield or keep the damaged glass as a trophy.

“They’re going to have to change the windshield, but I’m thinking we should keep it,” said another firefighter. “It looks cool like that.”

The incident took place as the parade was ending but the party was still going strong, with revelers eating, drinking and dancing to music playing on outdoor sound systems.

That shooting followed hot on the heels of a fight between two men outside a five-story residential building fronting Eastern Parkway at the corner of Franklin Ave. at 4:20 p.m., cops said. A firearm carried by one of the men discharged, resulting in a self-inflicted leg wound, according to police.

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Paramedics rushed the shooter to Kings County Hospital, where he’s listed in stable condition, authorities said.

Cops recovered the firearm, which was in the victim’s waistband when the shot was fired, according to law enforcement sources.

Police are expected to slap the gunman with charges related to illegal possession of a firearm after he’s received medical attention, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.

The West Indian Day Parade and night of revelry that precede it, known as J’Ouvert, have historically been plagued by gun violence, though it appeared to subside last year, when there were three shootings across Flatbush and Crown Heights.

The Police Department took special precautions this year to prevent shootings along the crowded parade route, including contacting 40 known gang members as part of the NYC Ceasefire Initiative requesting a peaceful holiday.

Police have made seven arrests for firearm possession related to this year’s J’Ouvert festivities, cops said.

Originally Published: Sep 04, 2023 at 5:22 pm